Motorola, Clinton and the Red Gestapo
Dec. 8, 1998: WND first reported that Motorola employee and former Clinton national security adviser Richard Barth obtained the export waiver for advanced encrypted radios sent to the Chinese police – over the objections of the State Department.
Motorola, antsy over recent British approval to sell high-tech communications equipment to the People’s Armed Police, received backing from President Clinton for sales of its own equipment to Beijing, but officials at the State Department, concerned over numerous human rights problems, “hadn’t gotten the memo” and refused to issue a waiver.
“The memo,” sent to Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, finally came from Barth: “Please forgive the informality of this note, but I want to move the process along here and not stand on formalities. We currently have about $100 million worth of two-way radio business tied up by the lack of a waiver for China. … I urge you to get in writing to the State Department asap language that seeks a waiver for ‘cellular, PCS and two way radio systems,’ as recently agreed.”
It worked. And those radios were used by Chinese police during the arrest of Harry Wu, the famed dissident reported.
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